Archive:Rialian Silverblade
With a pipe in hand, and a kind smile, the only hint of a warrior's lineage within this man's visage is the customized armor decorating his frame. A heavy shield on his back, and a bastard sword generally strapped in a waist-mounted position speak of his "defense over offense" process of thought. Unusually crystalline eyes seem to sparkle as the man nods at you, waist-length blonde hair drifting a bit in the wind as its head moves. Tanned skin and pale lips curl into a smile, and the man offers a partial salute and a bow. The long scar above his right eyebrow becomes more visible in the sunlight as he rises again. The gauntlet-covered hand he extends has a peculiar symbol on the back of it - a silvered sword crossing over a shield. He speaks, a lower baritone voice ringing out, and offers assistance, advice, or whatever is needed, then is off. Perhaps, the man is more than a Blood Knight... perhaps, he has the Light in mind, rather than his own gain. History Born to the House Silverblade, an older and much less influential house of Silvermoon, Rialian, as with many elves, was born into nobility. The House Silverblade tended to produce excellent warriors and fighters, elves who mastered the martial arts over the magical ones. However, this tended to leave them uninfluential, as the mageocracy of Silvermoon City does not particularly respect such "brutal and unrefined" talents. This was fine for most of the House. Influence is something that mages can argue over all day long. A warrior goes out to battle when they are called. As such, the thousand year old house basically kept to itself. Rialian was the second child and only male of the Highlady Asandra Silverblade and her mate, Tyronius, preceded by his youngest sister, Poem, and his older sister, Lana. Tyronius was a priest of the Light - as such, he was not eligible to become the Highlord of the house. Asandra served beside Highlord Kieran Silverblade, her brother. The arrangement, for the most part, worked well. Lana was a very capable warrior, as was Rialian, though he never progressed past his eldest sister. Poem, however, followed closer to her father's footsteps, showing great talent with the Light, but lesser talents with the sword and steel. The House lived well, only taking what was needed, always represented at the Gates of Silvermoon. When the Silver Hand began to take recruits, Rialian would apply. As one of few elves accepted into their ranks, he would train as a warrior of the Light - a paladin. The representation of the Light's powers, combined with his centuries of martial training, created a powerful combat-centric paladin to serve the House. For a time, all was well. And then, everything came crashing down. As with many houses, Arthas' attack on Silvermoon deeply affected the Silverblades. However, due to their role as front-line warriors, and the willingness of the mageocracy to throw them to the wolves, the Silverblades suffered greatly. Of the entire hundred man forces, three survived the battle. Rialian was only saved by luck, as his mother, a capable sword-mage, teleported her last remaining child to safety at the cost of her own life. Another soldier who served the House Silverblade, an elf of great age, Azareth, also survived, though he only did so after being basically buried under the fallen quel'dorei. Finally, Highlord Kieran managed to survive the battle. However, Kieran's wounds were too great, and he died only a week later. Rialian, for all intents and purposes, was the final member of his House. The fel infusion came, as all things do. Rialian barely noticed. His mind was blurry, hazy. All he could think about was his anger. His anger at being the only one to live. His anger at Arthas. His anger at having his body polluted so to survive. Anger was his life. As it began to overtake him, he noticed the fading of his powers. The Light, either thanks to the Fel within, or his own attitude about the lot he was dealt, was leaving him. He joined the Blood Knights to regain his lost powers. Again, however, everything changed five years after the battles. He was called A'dal. The Naaru. Rialian had known of them since the imprisoned M'uru was brought to Silvermoon. His power was fantastic, able to power hundreds of Blood Knights, maybe even thousands, at once. It was as if they were infinite portals of the Light. M'uru was then spirited away by Kael'thas, the Fallen Prince. He was taken to the Sunwell, and there, he was torn apart by the collective attacks of Alliance and Horde, both of whom had come together in their hour of need to bring down the greatest threat known to Azeroth yet. Kael'thas was killed, and Kil'Jaeden was forced back through the Sunwell, to whatever hell he came from. The Prophet Velen reactivated the powers of the Sunwell, using the Spark of M'uru. It was there that Rialian realized his greatest flaws. Rather than embracing that which had happened and choosing to live on regardless, his life had focused on vengenance. He had lived in the past. He had failed the Light in that way. With the Sunwell now reactivated, Rialian quickly took steps to change his path. The first step was atonement. Rialian went directly to A'dal. He wished for the greatest of the Naaru to give him forgiveness. He was sent on a quest to find what he had lost, without the powers of the Naaru. Along the way, he passed by Uther's grave. There, he found that the Horde was taking active steps to descecrate the man's burial. Rialian stopped a particular Forsaken from doing so, instructing him that such an act against a good man, even though he was Alliance, was nothing more than barbarity on their part. The Forsaken understood, and left. It was in this that Rialian found his purpose - to guide others among the proper path. He returned to A'dal, to find that his powers were fighting to return. A'dal destroyed the Fel energy within Rialian, allowing the Light to flow through the man. While sin'dorei in nature, Rialian now stood as he once was. A man of the Light, living from the powers of the Sunwell. He found himself weakened in Outland, but while on Azeroth, he was as strong, maybe even stronger, than he had ever been. The second step still continues to this day. Rialian now works for the Horde as a representative of the true Light's powers. As one of the truly "good" paladins, the man ceaselessly acts in the name of his truth, his justice. The battle is uphill. Perhaps, it cannot be won. Rialian, however, refuses to budge. If there is even a chance of victory, he must fight, and stand, so that others will not follow the path he did. This is his life now. He gives it willingly, if it must be given. Storyline Description Strategy Rialian is difficult to bring down once he faces his enemy. As a paladin, numbers don't faze him a lot, and his unique, low-energy combat style means that he's very hard to outlast in a fight. However, he is particularly vunerable to ranged combat, as most archers can pinpoint the areas his shield does not cover, and most spellcasters can simply keep him at a distance. His only option in such a situation is to either throw his shield and attempt to charge behind it with his sword, or fall back and try to trick the enemy. If struck down quick enough at range, he will fall. No matter what, however, don't expect a quick fight. Category:Archived Characters Category:Archived